Improvement in ballot-boxes



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. MGPHERSON, OF TROY, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN BALLOT-BOXES.

Specification forming part ofLetters Patent No. 46,01 2, dated January 24, 186.3.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES A. MGPHERSON,

. of Troy, in the county of Rensselaer and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Ballot-Boxes 5 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this speciication, in which- Figure lis a view of a vertical section of my ballot-box. Fig. 2 is an inverted plan View of the top Al of the box.

ySimilar letters of reference indicate like parts.

A represents the ballot-box, made up of a top, A', and a body, A3. The bottom B of the body is attached to the body by means of atongue, 2, which fits into a socket, D, on one side, and by means of a lock, (l, whose bolt takes into another socket, D, on the other side of the body. rI'he body may be of any desirable form and of any suitable material. It has a circular mouth, U, with raised sides, placed in the center of its top. The mouth is left uncovered, and is situated directly beneath the valve g of the top of the box. The top A is composed partly of a sha-llow circular cover, with straight sides, along whoseinterior are fixed four or more rods, n, which extend downward through holes in the upper surface of the body A3, and are held fast in its interior by means of nuts o, thus holding` the cover securely to the body of the box. Rods J six or more in number,

(only four are seen in the sectional Fig. 1,)

which are secured on the top of the cover in circular order, rise therefrom with an inward incliuation, for the purpose of supporting' a capplate, O, to which they are fastened. rIhis plate, is perforated at its center, and has a rim, 5, extending around and below Jthe perforation, which rim ts within the top of a trans- A parent cylinder or chimney, A2, whose bottom is held within a collar, 3, which rises around the central perforation in the cover S. It may be held therein by the cement in common use. A screw-thread is formed on the inside oi' the rim 5 to receive a circular mouth-piece, 4, which has a narrow four-sided slot cut through it, which slot communicates with aflat tube, 6, formed on the under side of the mouthpiece around the sides of the slot. Its sides converge, as seen in the drawings, and one side is cut away at Q, while the other side, P, of the tube extends downward some dist-ance. Pins 7 are fastened, by soldering or other means, to the short side Q, their direction be ing toward the face of the side P, which they approach very nearly. A lever, c, which is pivoted at c to a plate, j', on the top of the cover S, inside, carries the valve g, before mentioned. It extends through the sides of the cover in a slot (not shown) extending toward the position S. Its motion in the opposite direction is limited by the stop cl, against which it is drawn by a spring, 1 ,which is fastened at q q. This spring consists of a bent rod, and it is hooked into an eye on the side of the lever c. At a point, b, it has a staple, which extends below a small lock fastened on the interior of the upright side of the cover S, whose bolt, when projected, takes into the staple, and thereby holds the lever c in itsl normal position, with its valve g over the mouth of the body of the ballot-box. On that side of the valve g which is opposite the lever c is an arm, h, which extends vertically away from the valve, and also reaches from the valve in a horizontal direction far enough to pass the extreme end of an arm, fi, of a bent lever, W, which embraces and rotates upon an arbor, as, extending down from the cover S. The longer arm of the lever carries a hammer, which comes in contact with the side of a bell, I, iixed to the cover in a convenient position. A spring, k, fastened at one end to the cover at q, has at its other end an eye which embraces the short end i of the lever W, so as to ride up thereon toward the arbor when the bent lever is revolved so as to draw against the spring. rIhe longer arm of this lever is drawn by the spring against a stop-rod, m.

The action of this apparatus is as follows z The bottom B being in place, and the bolt of the lock a. withdrawn, so that the lever c is free to be moved, if a ticket or ballot is now presented at the mouthpiece 4 it may 'be pushed down between the points 7 and the extended side P of the tube 6, where it will be held as shown in Fig. 1. The next ballot that is presented will force the one so held past the points 7 and permit it to fall to the bottom of the globe A2, where it will rest upon the valve g. The inspector or judge of elections who is in charge neXt moves the lever c toward the position S, whereby the valve is moved aside and the ballot is allowed to fall into the box below. When the valve is moved aside, its path is a curve described about its fulcrum. Its rod It strikes the arm t' and moves the bent lever about its arbor until the curves described by the end of the arm i and by the arm h recede from each other,jwhen the armi will be released, and the spring 7c will draw the lever W back and cause thehammer to be struck. Thus the hammer is struck once every time the valve is opened to receive a ballot.

If, after a ballot has been inserted in the mouthpiece 4, any dispute or question arises concerning the lawfulness of the ballot or the right ot' the voter to be considered an elector, the ballot may be withdrawn by unscrewing the mouth-piece 4, which will retain it suspended, as shown in Fig. l, and if the ballot has been pushed down into the globe by a succeeding,` one, and then any such question arises, the ballot may be withdrawn by taking out the mouth piece and inserting,` a wire tongs or nipper to raise the ballot in dispute from off the valve. The transparent cylinder A2 enables one to see the course ot' the ballot until it is finally deposited within the body A3 of the box, Whose sides are intended to be solid.

It will be observed that the suspended ballot cannot be Withdrawn upward by the fingers or by any instrument, nor can it be pushed past the retaining-points 7 by the lingers; but

when a succeeding ballot is pushed dnvn into the mouth-piece its edge pushes the one in suspension past the retainer, and it then falls upon the valve g. The retainer in the mouthpiece may be made in any other form, so long as it accomplishes the office above eipained.

I do not claim a ballot-box Whose sides are transparent; but,

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. The combination, in a ballot box, of the body or receptacle A3 and the top A, separated by a valve, constructed and applied to each other substantially as shown.

2. The top A of the ballot-box, composed ot' an open cylinder with transparent sides, a cover, S, with its valve and bell and hammer, and-a ballot-retaining mouthpiece, substantially as above set forth.

3. In a ballot-box, retaining the ballot in a receivingmouth set Within transparent walls, so that it cannot be withdrawn upward, but remains suspended for inspection until pushed through the mouth by a succeding ballot, substantially as described.

4. The removable mouthfpiece 4, constructed so as to retain a ballot suspended in it and prevent its withdrawal, substantially as above described.

JAMES A. MGPHERSON.

Witnesses:

C. L. ALDEN, B. MACGREGOR. 

